Was I Dreaming?

Pinched myself a couple of times to see if I'm really awake. MomViews.net was invited to have a media booth at this year's Chicago Game & Toy Fair this weekend and this became a huge turning point for my site.  What once was an idea on paper, logo worked on in my Adobe Illustrator, and hours of work in writing about it, is now even much more than that.  My heart is bursting with pride and joy.  My baby has grown up!

To see a poster with MomViews.net and our new writing staff wearing our logo tees, I can't help but feel grateful.  As I stepped back and watch the booth got busy with people wondering who we are and what we are, it felt gratifying.  With every woman that walked to the booth saying hello and that she reads us, I felt excited. For every company brand that believed and sponsored the giveaways in our booth (Hakia, Hasbro / Playskool, LeapFrog, and Nintendo), I felt extremely humbled. To have Mel Trevino of Consumers Union / Consumer Reports flying in  from Austin Texas to join us in our booth, I felt thankful!  To have great friends coming to see our booth with their families, to have found enthusiastic friends to work with you and believe in you like Molly and Kristen, I felt energized. And to have one of my MomViews.net partner most true friend Jen whom I know will be there with me through thick and thin, I felt content. I truly am living my dream...

With all this, I am thankful. Happy Thanksgiving Holiday to all!

I've written more about the booth and our sponsors in ChicagoMomViews.net, so you can click here if you'd like to read more.

One Fabulous Wii Night!

What a Night!  I hosted a Wii Fit Party to a small group of mommy friends and it was a huge hit!  Well how can you possibly go wrong? Great company, good food, and a phenomenal staff sent by Nintendo Wii that assisted us in learning our new "addicting" craze! Wii Fit!

I honestly didn't think that it would be this much fun to play with some video games with your gal pals.  But that's the thing - Wii fit is not just another video game. It is a game that is truly made for fun and health at the same time!  All the fun mixed in on together in a sleek looking gaming console and balance board that I find actually pleasing to look at and won't mind having it out hanging with in my living room. The hilarity of watching your friends try and balance on a tightrope, and relive some step classes was just fantastic. Awesome party concept don't you think?

It started out when everyone took turns in stepping on the Wii balance board to see how balanced they are.  Then, our stats like birthday, height, the kind of clothing you are wearing were entered in.  The balance board also weighs you at the same time.  With all that combined, it spits out your BMI stats and your Wii Fit age. Age?  No one ever talks about age! Well, not that night! From then on, we were all hooked.  All of us determined to lower those Wii ages by the end of the evening! Well, we knew that wasn't going to happen - but we sure did try!

With 3 flatscreen and Wii Fit consoles all set-up, the Nintendo gals had us playing like all the games we wanted to try.  Our children would've been amazed if they could've seen how cool their mommies were that night!  The Nintendo gals also set-up some delicious healthy food and white sangria!

Just when we thought the night couldn't be any better and besides Jen and I (the 2 hostesses received a complete Wii System + Wii Fit Bundle and many other Wii Fit stuff  ----- An Oprah moment happened!  Wii fit for EVERYBODY !!!!!!! Each and everyone was delighted and surprised to receive their very own Wii Fit Balance Board, Wii Fit Yoga Mat, cool workout gear, and a yoga bag! Yes Everyone! This was a huge icing on the already perfect cake!  Thank you Nintendo!  And thank you to our following guests:

Stephanie Anderson - Owner of Little Star Guitar
Daphne Aclaro - Owner of Ablon Chicago
Anita Mark - Owner of The Signature Residences
Amy Prevo - from Lincoln Park Athletic Club
Wendy Mullin - Mommy Extraordinaire
Geraldine Kwan - Mommy Blogger
Josephine Sanders - Owner of Room2Play
Sherri Murphy - Owner of  Room2Play
Sevila Schiml - Owner/Dentist of Chinatown Family Dental - who unfortunately didn't make it but tried very hard to get there. :-)

Thank you everyone for being a part of this magnificent night! Thank you Nintendo Wii Girls: Sylvia Tan , Elizabeth Oppriecht, Andrea Emanuel, and Julia Walls. They were so awesome and perfect party planners. And thank you Justine Meeks!!! We are waving from afar.

And don't forget - We are now giving out a Wii Gaming System + a Wii Fit Balance Board to a lucky reader!  So what are you waiting for?!!! Go Play Now!

Win a Wii Gaming System + a Wii Fit Balance Board

I was the chosen Brand Mom Enthusiast for Nintendo, so there are exciting things to come!  To start off, I'm giving away a Wii Gaming System + Wii Fit Balance Board!  This contest is also hosted with MomViews.net / ChicagoMomViews.net, so you'd have to subscribe to the newsletter in order to participate.

Visit their sites here: Nintendo Wii Fit -  Nintendo Wii 

Yup, you read it right - we are giving away what is probably the most fun gift you can give or receive this Holiday. This is an approximate value of $370.00

In the privacy of your own home, you and your family can start and benefit on a whole fitness regimen like you would after spending hundreds of dollars in a gym. With 40 activities and exercises including strength training, aerobics, yoga, and balance games, it is a sure bet that you will find it fun and energizing for you and your entire family.  It will even keep tabs on your progress and track your results.

So what are you waiting for? Go and enter the contest now and please pass on the news to your friends and family. To participate, you must fill up the form below.



Sorry, but this prize is only available to ship in the US excluding Hawaii and Alaska.

Epson, How Do I Love Thee?

Let me count the ways. Well, you've heard of the term "smart phones", now you'll hear "smart printer"! Thanks to One2One Network and SVMoms, I am so excited that I got picked to do a review on the new Epson Artisan 800 All-in-One printer. Okay, I admit - anything “techy” gets me excited!

I actually already own 2 printers that I love and use all the time, so needless to say that I am quite familiar with the networking features on printers and great color printing like what my Minolta QMS 2300 Laser Printer 's Scanner/Copier/Fax/Printer All-In-One feature capabilities and what my trusty HP Office Jet G85 can do.

After reading more about the Epson Artisan 800, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. So as soon as I received it, I went ahead to hook it all up without waiting for my husband (which is what I normally do when it comes to any installations). It was surprisingly very easy to install and using it is quite simple.

First of all, the printer itself looked SO sleek! It has a beautiful 7.8” touch panel that lights only the buttons you need to get the job done, and it has a 3.5 inch LCD for viewing. With 4 computers in this household, we love the WIFI idea and any of us in the family can just simply touch a button and print without having to hook it up to our laptops. Much to my son's excitement, all photo enhancements can be done on the printer LCD itself.  And much to my excitement, besides the Print / Copy / Scan / Fax features, it does everything else but makes a venti cappuccino. I can only hope.

Here are some other cool features:

"• Full-Featured Scanning and Copying: The Artisan 800 features 4800 dpi resolution (48-bit color) and the Artisan 700 features 2400 dpi resolution (48-bit color), for high quality scanning of images and documents with brilliant clarity and accuracy. Both all-in-ones also offer standalone, one-touch color and black and white copying with a wide range of easy-to-use options such as the ability to scan to a computer, memory card or USB flash drive, easy photo reprints and enlargements up to 400 percent, and a convenient fit-to-page printing feature. They even offer background removal for crisp, clean copies of text documents. Both models include OCR software for converting documents into text users can edit.

• Standalone Photo Capabilities: Both Artisan models have card slots that are compatible with all popular memory card types5 for printing photos without a computer or transferring files to or from a computer. Plus, users can print directly from a digital camera or mobile phone with the PictBridge® connection. Additional photo printing options include print-by-date, custom picture packages, photo index sheets, and passport and photo IDs.

• Restore Faded Photos: Artisan all-in-ones can easily restore color to old, faded photos with or without using a computer.

• Creativity Made Simple: Included software allows users to create and print personalized CDs/DVDs, greeting cards, elegant invitations, beautiful photo calendars, photo books, and more.

• Shared Use at Home: Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking are built in for sharing with all users in the home. An optional Bluetooth® photo print adapter is also available for printing from cell phones and other mobile devices.

• Flexible Paper Handling: Both models print borderless photos in popular sizes, including 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", and letter. They also feature a paper cassette with two paper trays that eliminate the need to switch between plain and photo paper. In addition, two-sided printing is built-in and can be automated with an optional duplexer6.

• Smart Ink System: The Artisan series feature convenient individual ink cartridges that can be changed in as little as five seconds and replace only the color needed. In addition, innovative technology conveniently combines color inks to produce black when black ink is low to extend printing. Cartridges are available in two sizes to match users' printing needs."

But more importantly, the printing is beautiful. The color prints vividly and definitely a higher quality of any other inkjet printers that I’ve tried. And one smart thing about the ink cartridges too is that you can buy the colors in separate packs unlike most inkjets that all colors comes in one cartridge. So no kore purchasing or replacing a whole cartridge for one color.  And did you read about creating and personalizing your own CD/DVD! Didn't I tell you this is one smart printer?!

The Artisan 800 exceeded my expectation and I can't wait to play with it some more. It seems as though I’ll be chucking both of my printers for this one!

Ok want a chance to win one? Go to Silicon Valley Moms and win your very own Epson Artisan 800 starting Tuesday, Nov. 18th!

Stop Hoochyfying Our Girls!

Parenting has gotten even harder for today's Moms and Dads with so much going against us. It is almost as if I have a daily battle with the world just so I can give a normal and appropriate childhood to my children. As you can see, I've been ranting again. Check out my newest posting @ ChicagoMomsBlog.com called "Stop Hoochyfying Our Girls!"

I'm closing off comments here, so please bring what you have to say over there.

My Vote Will Count

*** My reaction to Obama's win: He won fair and square and it is truly wonderful to have been a part of this historical event. Although I'm disappointed that McCain will never get a chance to lead, I am optimistic that Obama will do well in office. I can't wait to see the CHANGE we are all wanting to see. It was a great day to show our pride as Americans!

I voted for McCain. And to my Obama Mama friends, I hope we can still be friends. I was rather silent on my choice so I know a lot of you are rather surprise. I'm not one to sway anyone on their beliefs, and although I truly believe that both can do a good job in office, I can't vote for someone that has nothing to show but promises. I don't know any citizen applying for a job without the appropriate experiences. It matters to any position on any company. So it should also matter to a Presidential candidate. John McCain won me over with his experience which lead me to believe that he will be a better and more effective leader for this country. (This was written before the results of Obama's win)

Halloween Bits

I'm here...just a little overwhelmed with all the stuff I needed done. So let me fast forward and share some not so scary Halloween bits with you guys.I still hope to get a chance to write more on my latest NY trip to close the missed gap of updates - stay tuned this week.

Well this Halloween we gathered with a bunch of friends from my boys' school. Everyone pretty much live around the same neighborhood, so you can just imagine how much fun these children had. My toddler fell asleep in her stroller before we even started trick-or-treating, I was somewhat disappointed because she will end up missing in on the fun. And I was so glad that she woke up just enough time for her to actually walk and enjoy the festivities for the first time.

The endearing photo on the left of my fairy toddler and her older friend is one of my favorite pic taken by my brother. Want to see the rest of our Halloween pics? Then click here.

How was your Halloween? And please share your link to your pics in the comment area if you can. Would love to see what your kiddos were wearing.